He entered his pleas on the basis that he was acting alone and although he had a knife on him, he did not produce it during the robbery.

(Image: Paul Beard)

So what happened exactly?

Prosecutor Ian Ball said that at two in the morning on November 3 last year, a man was sitting in his Alfa Romeo in Kingfield Road, Coventry, when Wilson walked past.

Wilson later said he had been on his way to buy alcohol at a petrol station when he could smell cannabis from the car, and had made the on-the-spot decision to rob the occupant of the drug.

He approached the car and, with his hand by his side, demanded everything he had before grabbing the key from the ignition and ordering the man to get out.

Wilson then demanded his phone and got into the car and drove off in the direction of the petrol station.

The police were informed, and after finding the car in a nearby street, they saw Wilson walking away from it.

He began to run, but was caught, and a lorry driver then pulled up and told the officers he had seen Wilson throw something into a garden where they found a knife.

Mr Ball pointed out that the knife the victim had said had been produced by Wilson during the robbery was found in the car, rather than being the one Wilson had discarded.

There had been a ‘trial of issue’ over whether Wilson had produced a knife during the robbery, during which the victim had given evidence but would not say what he was doing there at that time in the morning.

Judge Sylvia de Bertodano commented: “It was perfectly apparent from the CCTV that he was sitting in his car for some time and passing items out to people who approached it.

“The implication that he was dealing drugs from the car is overwhelming, although clearly that does not justify what Mr Wilson did.”

On potential aggravating features, relating to the harm to the victim, under the sentencing guidelines, the judge said there was no evidence of psychological harm, and remarked: “It may have had a detrimental effect on his business, but...”